


B-4 The Rain Man

by DataLore1



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brothers, F/M, Piracy, Romance, Savantism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-01-22 01:47:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1571477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DataLore1/pseuds/DataLore1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>B-4 is the mechanical answer to savantism, and his rather unique skill set comes in handy with helping his criminal brother Lore escape the long arm of the law. They're both on the run from the Federation along with less savoury organisations, and only a combination of Lore's cunning and B-4's insight will keep them one step ahead. Loosely based on the movie Rain Man. Mainly action/adventure, but romantic themes and some scenes of a sexual nature in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad News

**Author's Note:**

> \- I do not own Star Trek, it's characters or anything associated with paramount studio's. Please don't sue! -

Lore sighed in exasperation as he observed B-4 staring intently at him from across the table, peering over the rim of the data pad he was holding upside down and had been pretending to read for ages now. He was almost beginning to regret bringing his brother along on this trip, but for some unfathomable reason he was loathe to leave him behind after expending the effort to find and secure him in the first place. Stealing him had been like stealing candy from a baby, but he knew that every star base from here to the gamma quadrant would be on the lookout for them now. What was done was done, and he would live with the consequences. Besides it wasn't as though he'd really kidnapped B-4 anyway, he'd come along on his own free will.. it was just dubious whether the simple minded android prototype had fully understood Lore's proposal.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare? If you've got something on your mind come out with it now." 

B-4 didn't seem deterred by Lore's biting tone at all, in fact he leaned forward to stare even harder while he processed just what it was he'd been wanting to ask.

"What is rude?"

"What you're doing right now, but it doesn't matter. Look.. can't you access your data banks to get the answers for questions like that? You really don't need to ask me such childish things, not when our beloved father should have programmed you with the knowledge." He was never the most patient man, and although he was more placid with B-4 than he was likely to be with most people owing to the fact that they were family, it was still hard for Lore to deal with him at times. 

The older android cocked his head in a good impersonation of a curious puppy. "What is a data bank?"

Lore barked out a laugh, leaning forward to ruffle his brothers impeccably neat head of hair affectionately.

"Nothing wrong with your sense of humour I see! You know I much prefer you over Data, he acted like he had a stick permanently lodged up his rear end. You might have a few wires crossed but you're okay brother."

Although B-4 had no idea what he'd done right he was very pleased that he'd made Lore laugh, and grinned lopsidedly in a poor attempt at mimicking his brothers expression. He had a very basic emotional programme, but without the capacity to process more than one thing at a time he found it difficult to apply them appropriately. Often he would laugh when Lore was angry, or become anxious in the middle of the night and whimper quietly until someone checked in on him, and he had no idea he was doing it.

"The nice lady said that Data was nice too. You should like him more."

Lore frowned, shooting a questioning glance at his twin as he pushed away the cup of coffee he'd only been drinking for appearances sake.

"What do you mean was?" Come to think of it he did find it strange that Data hadn't been escorting B-4 around on the day Lore had crossed paths with him in San Francisco. At the time he'd been counting his lucky stars however, and certainly hadn't begrudged the fact that his goal had been that much easier to attain.

Yellow eyes flickered from side to side as though reading the pages of a book, and Lore's own peered intently into them as he awaited an explanation. For some reason he couldn't help but feel the sinking weight of dread settle in the region of his stomach, and it had everything to do with the way B-4 referred to Data in the past tense. It couldn't be that something had happened to his long time rival could it? They may have been opponents, but they were still family, and Lore couldn't be sure that he would be happy to hear of anything untoward happening to any of them.

"He will not come back. The nice lady said that Data has gone away to a better place, and when I asked how long he would be away she said in.. in.." 

Lore's jaw fell slack as the words sank in, and his fears were realised. Almost subconsciously he supplied the word which B-4 was tripping over to cut off the babbling attempts, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Indefinitely."

"Yes that is the word! She would not tell me how long 'indefinitely' is, but it sounds very long. A long word for a long time."

Lore was quiet for a long time, merely staring at the brown ring his coffee cup had left behind on the cafe table and ignoring his brothers attempts to get his attention by nudging his foot under the table. Eventually he stood abruptly, slamming a few native coins onto the table in payment for what little they had ordered and turning to leave. The sudden noise of scraping chair legs had startled B-4 into action, so he was hot on Lore's heels as he stalked out of the tiny building out into the streets of Danleris IV. The planet was primitive, yet the native population included humanoids of similar skin colourations to the two androids own, so it had been a perfect place to hide out while Lore had been doing some minor repairs to his ship.

The silence between them was broken only by B-4 humming a tune under his breath as they walked, the same one he always sang, something about skies and love and other sappy nonsense Lore didn't care for. He somehow didn't mind the tune itself however, at least it gave him a distraction from his own dark thoughts. The loss of Data had hit him hard, and it was beginning to dawn on him that he and B-4 were now the last of a dying breed, which disturbed him more than it probably should have. He'd never been all that concerned with the continuation of their fathers legacy before, but now that one of their already tiny number had been lost, and it was only a stroke of luck that he himself was operational (poor naive Maddox).. well.. it was scary to think that Soong's work could be lost in the blink of an eye. 

Guilt gripped his heart as he thought about their creator.. their father. He'd been the one to cause his demise after all, however unintentionally that had been. One stray power surge from the emotion chip, one rush of euphoric anger, one gnarled hand reaching out for his face and one misinterpreted intention and it had all been over so fast. Of all his past crimes that was the only one he felt any remorse for, so it made sense that now he'd developed a desire to at least preserve Noonien's work. Somehow it felt as though if even one of the android brothers was left standing, then Soong could live on through them.. and it was very appealing to Lore to imagine that his father was still alive. Then he wouldn't be guilty of murdering him so brutally before his time.

He was broken out of his reverie by an incessant tugging on his sleeve, and he belatedly realised that B-4 had been trying to get his attention for a while now. Perturbed at being disturbed for what he imagined would be more childish questioning, his tone was a hiss of impatience that caused the older android to recoil from him as though burned. 

"Spit it out." He really did wish he could control his temper better. 

"There is a bad man following us. He wants to take the shiny chips."

Lore furrowed his brow, casting a surreptitious glance over his shoulder doubtfully as he didn't quite trust that B-4 wasn't simply making things up. He often blurted out strangely personal things about the people around them, usually to Lore's amusement, but he thought for sure that it was just a strange quirk of his brothers to make stories up about other people. Probably his unique way of expression, maybe even a way to communicate his own feelings by detaching himself from them. Of course that was all speculation, Lore might have absorbed several psychological texts in his time, but his experience of the way his own brain worked was limited to experience, that and the small nuggets of information Noonien had passed on during their time on Omicron Theta. 

Confusion aside however, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy with B-4's warning hanging in the air.

"You mean money, the shiny chips are called money B-4. Where is this would be thief though brother? He'll regret the day he tried to screw with me.. provided this isn't another one of your eccentricities that is."

The older android had by now grabbed hold of Lore's arm, clinging to it with a white knuckled grip as though he were deathly afraid, and Lore felt a pang of sympathy for the poor guy. How hard it must be to have all the computing power in the world and be held back by basic programming. It was like operating the federation database on windows 95... tragic.

"In the dark room, five on the round clock." Nervous twitching accompanied the words. Evidently the android was in considerable distress. "Please can we leave brother? He is full of scary pictures."

Okay now Lore was thoroughly confused. What the hell was his brother going on about? He might have believed that someone was following them, and he'd just been too distracted to notice before, but B-4 was talking nonsense now. The dark room could be any number of things ranging from night time to an alleyway, as Lore had learned that his brother liked to lump many things under one description, usually something he could associate from his first days of activation. So the likelihood was that a narrow space between two buildings just behind them was the location. Five on the round clock was better, it confirmed his suspicions as he noted that if they were standing before an analog clock the location of five would be directly pointing at said alleyway. The incomprehensible part was the comment about scary pictures. Try as he might Lore could not find a suitable answer for what that was supposed to mean.

"Don't worry I won't let him anywhere near you bro, so relax okay? Just stay right here and I'll go run him off."

He made as though to turn on his heel and come back the way they came, but to his surprise B-4 was holding his arm in a grip that would have shattered the bones of anyone unfortunate enough not to be made of duranium, and he was refusing to let go.

"Umm bro.. I need my arm if you want the scary man to go away. Let go now."

"NO! Trapped! He is calling other bad people and they are worse. I hear them, they want us! They will give the bad man many shiny chips for playing hide and seek. We have lost the game brother we must leave now."

Lore's eyes widened as B-4's pleas were drowned out by the sound of particles materialising from a transporter beam. In seconds they were surrounded by armed orion's, slavers by the looks of them, and he barely had time to yell at B-4 to get down before phaser fire filled the air with streaks of deadly light. No way were those set to stun, and if they took even one hit they would be dropped like flies.


	2. Insight and Escape

"B-4 RUN! GET TO THE SHIP I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

He sprang to his feet and in three great bounds reached the nearest slaver, using his lightning reflexes to dodge the shots fired his way, finding a way through so he could crush that bastards windpipe like it was made of thin foil. The man dropped to the floor twitching, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.. all in vain. He would be dead in minutes. Quite a slow death and not a very kind one but Lore wasn't exactly in a position to feel guilty about that under the circumstances. He barely had time to roll away from another volley of phaser blasts that were coming his way, but he made sure to go in the opposite direction to B-4's fast retreating form. Good.. as long as they weren't after him..

As he swiped the legs out from underneath the hulking figure that had been bearing down on him, Lore noticed two slavers break away from the pack, and could only watch in horror as they took off in pursuit of his gentle brother. Why wasn't the idiot running at full speed? He could easily have outrun the relatively slow enemy if he'd really been trying! The answer dawned on Lore as he was busy breaking his opponents wrist to get him to drop the phaser, so he could whip around and return fire, causing the slavers to run for cover. B-4 didn't want to leave him. How touching.. and stupid. This complicated matters. There were still too many armed attackers to turn his back on them to dispatch the two running after his brother, but if he didn't do something soon they would catch up to him. They would have him dropped and tagged for transport before B-4 had time to be scared.

So Lore made what was probably the dumbest yet most selfless decision he'd ever made in his admittedly short life.. he spun around and sprinted towards the two outliers. Even running in a zigzag pattern he couldn't be sure if he would adequately confuse the people shooting at his back enough to dodge every shot. He may be an android, but he still didn't have eyes in the back of his head. Flashes of brilliant light streaked past him left and right, one just skimmed across his cheek instantly vaporising the bioplast sheeting to expose circuitry underneath, and Lore was grateful that he couldn't feel pain. That would have stung otherwise. 

"B-4 DOWN!"

His brother hit the deck just as Lore dived on the nearest pursuer, grabbing him around the neck and wrenching him around to face the proverbial firing squad. Just in time too.. a phaser blast hit the poor sod square in the chest, turning him to nothing more than a small pile of biological samples instantly. Tough luck... it was war and Lore wasn't one to play nice.

He shot a few more bursts desperately into the now much smaller pack of slavers to scatter them again, executing a brilliant spinning kick right across the jaw of the other man who had been after B-4 in the momentary lull that followed. A sickening snap like old fashioned gunfire resounded off the surrounding buildings, and Lore noted that the guys lower jaw was hanging at a strange angle, clearly broken.

"Come on quickly!" Lore grabbed B-4 by his jacket and tried to wrench him to his feet, pushing him ahead so he could run behind him, throwing phaser fire backwards at the slavers to try and hold them back. There was no time to note how his brother was sobbing uncontrollably, shaking like a leaf and clearly having the android version of a panic attack. Lore had been careful to avoid letting his brother get too worked up emotionally so far, fearing that he would suffer some kind of system wide failure if he was exposed to stimuli he wasn't yet equipped to deal with, but there was no time for such considerations now. 

Although his brother wouldn't be in this mess if not for him. 

No.. there was no time for guilt either, they had to keep moving. Lore's ship was cloaked just ahead, hovering above water just beyond a pier. If he'd been able to leave the ship in orbit they could have transported out by now, but hiding out on a planet that hadn't even ventured out into space yet had it's disadvantages. At least he knew that he still had a ship this way however.. no doubt the slavers ship would have blasted it to smithereens if they had found it in orbit. The one hired pilot he left in charge of operations whenever he was planet side was good, but she would have stood no chance on her own against a full on assault.

They were nearing the proximity field, just a few hundred meters and they would be close enough to transport aboard and get the hell out of there. The orion slavers were close, but with Lore now pushing B-4 along to run faster than any humanoid could hope to keep up with they were slowly losing them. 

Finally Lore's systems alerted him that he was within range, and he flipped the panel of his thumbnail up to press the transporter signal. Gripping tight to B-4, he crouched over him to shield him in the second it took for the transporter to get a lock and beam them automatically aboard, and although one lucky shot managed to just catch the hem of his pants and set them ablaze they managed to get away otherwise unharmed.

He'd never been more grateful to see the inside of his bridge than he had been in that moment. His pilot was absent, blissfully unaware of the dangers Lore and B-4 had been in just moments ago thanks to there having been no time to get a message to her. No matter, he'd been flying this baby by himself long before she'd come aboard.

"B-4 deactivate cloak, modulate shield frequencies and scramble comms." The older androids fingers danced across the console he was seated before to input the commands. Lore had discovered that so long as he had shown B-4 a certain sequence, and always used the same commands, then he was capable of performing complex manoeuvres in a pinch.

Lore turned the ship about and set a course for Drozana station, exiting the atmosphere at full impulse and punching it up to warp 9.2 before the slavers ship could even hope to get a lock on their location. They were soon racing through star systems, and a quick glance at the navigational consoles revealed that they were free from pursuit. 

"Thank fuck I think we've lost them.. good job brother I'll take it from here."

B-4 merely nodded and folded his shaking hands in his lap without moving from his station. Again Lore felt a surge of pity for his twin, but had to see to the safety of the ship first and foremost before they could be granted the time to talk things over. He dropped out of warp in a system devoid of known life, switching to impulse and cloaking so that on the off chance anyone picked up their warp signature they would still be hidden. There was no rush to reach drozana station.. in fact there was no rush to reach anywhere at all. He'd made the necessary repairs planet side and wouldn't need to dock again for quite some time. The less chances the federation (or other more unsavoury types) had to spot them, the better.

"ETA at three weeks four days, we won't have to deal with dangers like that for a while now. We have a lot to talk about brother.. I want to know how you knew that we were going to be ambushed, but I need to repair the damage to my face first. Come with me, I want to make sure you're okay too, did those bastards manage to damage you at all?"

The growl in his voice made B-4 jumpy, so he could only shake his head in answer. He had limited self diagnostic capabilities, but as far as he could tell everything was normal. Lore wanted to check himself just to be on the safe side, but for now he took his brother at his word and sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not angry with you, I'm angry with the fuckers who attacked us down there okay? You're family, it means you're safe with me alright?"

Something occurred to Lore then, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he wondered how best to explain his violent actions towards their attackers. B-4 had been fitted with an ethical programme, and he'd been programmed to use force in self defence, but like Data and unlike Lore he had a strict code which dictated he use the least force necessary to ensure his own safety. That meant that he was more likely to disable a foe, not kill them.. and certainly not with the brutality which Lore displayed. It had been the first time he'd shown his true colours in front of his relatively innocent brother, and it was oddly shameful. Remorse wasn't something he usually had to bother with, but he did wish that he could have spared B-4 the sight of such gruesome violence.

"What I did down there.. it was to protect us both. Those people would have sold us to the federation, and we would both be reduced to nothing more than lab rats if that happened. We can't trust anyone but each other, nobody else matters.. it's them or us dear brother. I wouldn't have killed those people if they weren't asking for it you do understand that right?"

"No."

Lore sighed and held his head in his hands, so much for trying to explain it gently. Anger still roiled beneath the surface, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping harshly at his guileless twin. Constantly he would have to remind himself that it wasn't B-4's fault if he couldn't grasp basic concepts, it was just the way he was made.. besides if it hadn't been for his warning down on the planet then Lore would have been taken completely unaware. His reflexes might not have been enough to save them. B-4 deserved gratitude, not impatience.

"It doesn't matter. Come help me with repairs and I'll explain later, I must look like shit with my face ripped half open like this eh?"

B-4 just nodded meekly. "Your face looks like shit."

Lore chuckled. It was strange to hear any kind of curse word come out of B-4's mouth. He really was such a corrupting influence. He beckoned for the older android to follow and made his way to engineering to collect the tools they would need. Lore predicted the repairs would take a good few hours, by which time their elusive pilot should have made an appearance and he could happily foist B-4 onto her and be given a moments peace to think. He'd certainly been given a lot to think about.. he hadn't forgotten B-4's prophetic streak and was still determined to get to the bottom of it.


	3. Nothing Personal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [So there's barely any mention of B-4 in this chapter, but it was necessary to introduce the other member of Lore's motley trio. B-4 plays a large part in the next chapter don't worry. Anyway hope you enjoy, and sorry for the wait! I'm writing whenever time permits.]

The cross-hair had been fixed on the same stretch of sandy ground for so long that it might have been painted onto the backdrop of surrounding scenery, brutal and stark, befitting for a dead planet. No greenery existed to break up the endless plane of rock. Only encroaching desert sands filling the spaces where once life had flourished, and rushing water had raged in great foaming torrents towards the sea. The river must have been very deep and wide, as the dry gorge it left behind like a tombstone stretched for miles in all directions, forcing anyone who might have a mind to pass through this area to travel through a huge funnel of sorts. Risky due to the exposure it would leave for attack from above, but a calculated risk when one considered how little traffic this planet had known, ever since it had been final stage to a long forgotten war. Lore looked around distastefully at the barrenness left behind, and reflected that places carried scars as clearly as any organic flesh ever did.

Synthetic muscle did not grow tired, and Lore had not shifted so much as an inch since taking up position. Lying prone, flat against an outcrop of rock overlooking the gorge far below, he lay still, watching, waiting.. and going out of his mind with boredom. Although his body required no rest, his mind was another matter, and after a long morning of a whole lot of nothing it was beginning to protest in earnest by reminding him of what better things he could be doing with his time. Having endless sources of entertainment at his disposal, mainly in the form of amusing memories, was no use whatsoever when his full concentration was required for the task at hand. He had to be ready, and with less than a moments notice at that, for the arrival of his quarry. Even his android speed would be taxed to dispatch them all before they could form a counter attack if his calculations, and information, proved to be accurate.

His informant had never let him down yet in the time they had known each other, but there was a first time for everything. Lore was nothing if not cautious. Still.. there were some things he unfortunately needed to rely on others for, and reconnaissance was sadly one of those things. Such a conspicuous appearance was a dead give-away after all. Letting anyone see his face would bring the federations hounds onto his trail faster than he could plead for mercy in a court of law. But flying blind was almost as dangerous when your very survival depended on how much you know. Lore remembered how much he had begrudged hiring what he'd thought of as a, 'mostly useless piece of human problem waiting to happen'. Funny how quickly opinions can change.. not that he no longer hated humans.. but that was her only remaining crime after proving her proficiency, and even more important, loyalty, beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Lore grinned wolfishly as he thought of her. Marie Pazzi was the name she had given, although he strongly suspected that was an alias, probably one of many identities she assumed, whenever her line of work made it necessary to disappear. She probably changed her appearance along with the name Lore thought, remembering how her blonde hair had showed a few shades darker at the roots, and her blue coloured contacts were the most discreet he'd ever seen. Within seconds of meeting her, Lore had thought he had her figured out. In that cock sure way he couldn't be bothered to restrain, he boldly told her as much too, watching her closely for a reaction. It wouldn't do for someone of a.. sensitive disposition, to be working for him. He did so hate it when humans would cry.

"You're an orphan... no wait you knew your mother, but only for a little while. Daddy died in the mines didn't he? Yeah you're definitely from a mining colony, you're short from malnutrition. Bad bones." It wasn't a question, but Marie nodded in acquiescence anyway, graciously proving him right. Lore couldn't tell if the derogatory way he said 'daddy' had stung. Good for her, she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve.

"So after your mom died you were out on the streets begging weren't you? Learned to steal when the hunger got bad enough, learned the hard way to stay away from gangs?" A sideways glance her way confirmed it, and he didn't push her any further on that.. he could tell it was a very sore subject, and he wasn't completely heartless.

"Yes.. so a little beggar girl on her own, on some shit hole mining colony at the edge of nowhere. How does a person like that end up where you are today hmm? It's obvious you're doing well for yourself, built up a good reputation, good at what you do."

His amber eyes glinted beneath the bajoran priests hood he was hiding beneath, reflecting the light from hundreds of scented candles and glowing incense. Their shadows were looming large in the prayer hall they had chosen as a meeting place. Nobody would bother two bajorans at prayer after all.

She gave no clues, merely bowing her head a little further as a portly man got up to leave a few places over, having to pass by them on his way to the door. Lore lowered his voice, leaning a little closer to Marie, to be heard over the low chanting reverberating around the old stone walls.

"I think you fell in with the right crowd, and I think you got where you are today by accompanying rich men to high class parties, and spreading your legs for them at night. I think you whored your way until someone got careless. Maybe showed you where they keep their treasures, or confided their secrets to you once you'd convinced them you were theirs for as long as they could pay. You'd already learned how to charm and lie and worm your way into people's hearts to get what you wanted, so you figured you could leave your old life behind and make something of yourself. You slit the throat of your richest patron and took off with their wealth, changed your identity, made yourself disappear.. and you've been doing very well ever since."

Lore seemed smug as Marie raised her gaze to meet his, seeming unimpressed by the intense, almost hungry look in those golden eyes. He'd always loved getting into people's heads like this. It thrilled him to lay a person out bare this way, defenceless and at his mercy. Long had it served as Lore's defence, turning the weaknesses he had in the field of social finesse into his strength. It didn't matter if people hated him. So long as they feared him they would always keep a healthy distance. He could be as brutal with his words as some men were with their fists.

The woman moved quickly, and she had taken him by surprise. Lore's hand came up to shield his face a moment too late, and he felt the sting as her palm struck him full across the cheek. The resounding slap caused people all around to startle like a mob of vigilant rodents, searching for danger, and Marie smiled, again a touch sarcastically, as she gestured with an impatient gesture for him to follow her out into the night air. Her skirts rustled, the flame coloured fabric making her seem alight with fire as she strode out of the hall. Lore, dumbstruck, followed meek as a lamb. Only once they were alone did she turn on him, cold fire in her eyes belying her amiable smile. She had a faint Italian accent he noted, and it grew stronger in her fury.

"You do not know so much as you think you know Mr Lore. You will not talk of me like this again. Now.. do you plan on spending the night out here in the cold, or are you going to show me to your ship?"

Seemingly out of nowhere the recollection had replayed in his mind, and as pleasant a distraction as it had been from the monotony of his day, it had cost him precious seconds. Disoriented, Lore took too long to notice the sound like a thin whistle of wind through the rocks, and he barely had time to realign the sights of his romulan disruptor rifle before his targets materialised in the gorge. In a haze of green they appeared, two gorn and what looked like a romulan male surrounding one lone orion, guarding him in carefully planned formation for the short journey to their underground base of operations.

They would never make it.

He had no breathing to regulate, but he focussed intently inwards to feel his pulse, and the steady beating became deafening drums in his ears as he amplified the sound. Keeping count carefully, he lined up the romulan in his cross-hair first, noting that he was the only one carrying a weapon that might equal the range of Lore's own. The others should be easy pickings so long as they didn't bolt before he could get the shots off.

Waiting... waiting.. one, two, one, two, thump, thump, fire, fire, fire, fire..

The beat of his heart was clockwork in it's regularity, and Lore counted the spaces between beats, knowing that was when it would be best to fire. He had the timing, he had the clear shot, he took it.

Poor guy never even saw it coming.

Vaporised in an instant. 

Too bad he worked for the wrong guy.

The others leaped back from their friend and watched in stunned horror as he died screaming, becoming nothing more than charged atoms in the air. Their hesitation was Lore's opening, and in two seconds as many gorn were dead. Lore took no pleasure in their deaths, as his ethical programming dictated he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but be amused with the ease at which they were allowing themselves to be dispatched. Not one had even reached for a weapon.. pitiful.

One left to go then, his back to Lore as he beat a hasty retreat, obviously hoping to take cover between some rocks while he called for beam up. Almost casually Lore adjusted the setting on his rifle to heavy stun, took aim, and shot the massive orion right in the left hamstring. 

"Oooh that's got to smart. Too bad buddy."

After what seemed an age of lying motionless in wait, being allowed to move again seemed like the best feeling he'd yet experienced. He took great pleasure in rolling onto his back and stretching cat like as he yawned, more to get some feeling back in his numbed jaw than for any other reason. The relentless sun beat down from above, but Lore's eyes were built to withstand glare that would have blinded a human. It showed signs of nearing the end of it's lifespan Lore thought. Probably within the next few decades there would be nothing left of this planet, and it's surrounding siblings but dust, floating aimlessly through space the way he did for two years after his own dear brother banished him to the empty vacuum of nothingness.

"Ah hell.. it's too nice a day to think about that." He murmured bitterly to nobody. The subject of his recently departed brother was still a touchy one after all.. it likely always would be Lore reflected.

Thankfully there was no more time left to dwell. He'd had a moment to savour victory, and now he had to retrieve the prize he'd wasted much of his precious time to obtain, and return to his ship. Glancing over the rim of the cliff, he pondered whether to go down the easy way or the hard way.

"Fuck this, B-4's missing his show."

Straight down then. Hopefully it wouldn't leave a scratch.


End file.
